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Epic Appraisal is committed to providing our clients with the highest quality appraisal reports in a timely fashion. Our accuracy, integrity, and expertise are what set us apart.

Mark Ellis, Owner

Thank you for visiting our webpage!

We are a leading provider of real estate appraisals and valuations for the greater Puget Sound. We have appraisers who specialize in Thurston, Pierce, King, and Snohomish counties in Washington State. Our experienced team has a proven track record of reducing time, efforts, and cost in managing the appraisal process.

Epic Appraisal specializes in real estate appraisals for mortgage financing purposes. Our team focuses on accuracy, integrity, and expertise. With our extensive knowledge of the residential real estate mortgage business, superior customer service, and consistently fast turn-around times, we are one of the most trusted names in the appraisal business.

We want the opportunity to earn your business! When you order an appraisal with Epic Appraisal, you will be provided great customer service, timely updates, and a high quality report with a fast turn-time. We want to build a strong successful partnership with our clients and want to see our businesses grow together.

Testimonials

“I have worked with Mark and Epic Appraisal for the past 7 years. He is professional, reliable and trustworthy to say the least. I have recommended him to other people that I know and I have never been disappointed. If you are looking for a good appraiser, look no further!”

Josiah Whalen, Branch Manager - VanDyk Mortgage

"As a professional fiduciary I am often responsible for liquidating real property on behalf of my clients. These are often court supervised sales requiring a professional appraisal, in the event that a dispute arises about the fair market value of the property. I use Mark Ellis at Epic Appraisal for these appraisals as I have confidence that Mark’s methodology will provide me with an accurate appraisal that can withstand scrutiny of third parties and the court.”

Daniel Smerken, Smerken Consulting - Eldercare Services

"RBH Appraisal Management has utilized the services of Epic Appraisal and Mark Ellis since 2010. We have found them to be both professional and very competent. Timely reporting is very important to RBH and its Clients and Epic meets our expectations in this area as well. We would not hesitate to recommend Epic and Mark Ellis to anyone looking to assist their Clients with quality timely service."

Charlie Butera, Operations Manager - RBH Appraisal Management

Current Blogs

When prospective home buyers are searching for their future home, a number of factors influence their decision. The proximity to their workplace, the size of home, as well as the parcel size, are all important factors depending on the buyer. There is an often overlooked influence which affects market value: School District.

Here in the south Puget Sound, school districts are an important factor with great influence. If you reside in Pierce or Thurston county, you are fortunate to have some of the best school districts in the greater Puget Sound located here.

According to schooldigger.com, Thurston & Pierce county have 8 school districts which are in the top 50 of Washington ranked school. The top school districts in Thurston county include: Griffin School District (Olympia, WA), Olympia School District (Olympia, WA), and Tumwater School District (Tumwater, WA). The school districts in Pierce county include: Dieringer School District (Lake Tapps, WA), University Place School District (University Place, WA), Sumner School District (Sumner, WA), Peninsula School District (Gig Harbor, WA), and White River School District (Buckley, WA).

Appraised values in Olympia, Tumwater, Lake Tapps, University Place, Sumner, Gig Harbor, and Buckley are directly influenced by these great school districts. Statistics show homes located in these school districts having higher average sales prices than competing markets.

With such a high percent of the home-buying population looking for a home in a good school district, there is a high demand for good schools. Demand drives prices higher for a limited product like real estate. Making a decision on buying a home should definitely include an analysis of the school district, even for buyers who don’t intend to send children to those schools. Good schools provide stability for a community, and that’s good for the property values of everyone who lives nearby.

With the importance of how school districts affect the market value of your home, it is important to find a real estate appraiser that understands your market. Epic Appraisal has experienced real estate appraisers throughout King, Pierce, Thurston, and Lewis county. Whether you are looking for a real estate appraisal prior to listing your home for sale, refinance, divorce settlement, estate planning, or personal valuation, we appreciate you trusting Epic Appraisal with your real estate appraisal needs.

An appraiser may be required to condition the appraisal report “subject to” the completion of a specific item; however, most of the time, the type of financing dictates this. Here is a quick list of the 3 types of financing and the lender requirements for each.

Conventional Financing

Property conditions for conventional financing have the least amount of requirements. With conventional financing, there are many ways to appraise the subject property in its current condition. An appraiser can often do a “cost to cure” adjustment to account for deferred maintenance or needed repairs. This is often decided by the lender on how they want the appraisal completed.

VA Financing – Safety, Security, and Structural Soundness

Conditions which impair the Safety, Security, or Structural Soundness of the dwelling will cause the property to be unacceptable until the defects or conditions have been remedied and the probability of further damage eliminated. Some of these conditions include:

· Defective paint on properties built prior to 1978

· Access not available for attic or crawl space

· Exposed wiring

· Earth to wood contact on exterior of home

· Defective construction

· Evidence of continuing settlement

· Leakage

· Decay, and termites

· Missing railings

· Broken windows

· Failure of the septic

· Excessive dampness

Items such as smoke detectors, CO detectors, radon or radiation detectors, and hot water heater straps are NOT considered Minimum Property Requirements (MPR) items. These are considered to be code compliance issues. VA states that they are not a code enforcement agency.

FHA/USDA Financing – Safety, Security, and Structural Soundness

Similar to VA Financing, conditions which impair the Safety, Security, or Structural Soundness of the dwelling will cause the property to be unacceptable until the defects or conditions have been remedied and the probability of further damage eliminated. Some of these conditions include:

· Hot water heater not double strapped

· Missing CO detectors outside of ALL sleeping areas

· Earth to wood contact on exterior of home

· Utilities not turned on

· Appliances not functioning

· Defective paint on properties built prior to 1978

· Access not available for attic or crawl space

· Evidence of continuing settlement

· Defective construction

· Leakage

· Decay, and termites

· Missing railings

· Broken windows

· Failure of the septic

· Excessive dampness

· Exposed wiring

If the appraiser cannot determine that the property meets FHA’s MPR, an inspection by a qualified individual or entity is required.

Conditions that an inspection by qualified individuals or Entities include:

Standing water against the foundation and/or excessively damp basements;

Over the years, Epic Appraisal has established itself as a leading provider for residential appraisals in Thurston, Pierce, and Lewis counties. We are excited to announce that Epic Appraisal has now expanded to King and Mason counties! The 3 certified appraisers (with a combined 50+ years of experience) who have recently joined our team will provide our clients with high quality appraisals throughout the greater Puget Sound. Their extensive knowledge of King and Snohomish counties is a great addition for our company and for our clients.

Just as each market has specific influences (physical, economic, governmental, and social), appraisers also have specific expertise in their direct geographical region. In order to provide clients with a credible appraisal report, we ensure that our appraisers only provide services in the markets where they have extensive knowledge and insight of the specific influences.

Watch for the ‘Our Team’ page to be updated soon with additional information about our new team members.